Sanju Samson is one of the most talented and promising cricketers in India. He is a right-handed wicket-keeper-batter who plays for Kerala in domestic cricket and Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League. He has also represented India in One Day Internationals and T20. He is known for his aggressive and flamboyant batting style, as well as his acrobatic skills behind the stumps. He has scored several centuries and half-centuries in various formats of the game and has won many awards and honours for his outstanding performances.
In this article, we will explore the life and career of Sanju Samson, from his birth and family background to his education and net worth, and from his cricketing journey to his achievements and accolades.
Sanju Samson Biography: Biodata
| Full Name | Sanju Viswanath Samson |
| Birth | 11 November 1994 |
| Age | 29 years( as per 2024) |
| Nickname | Sanju |
| Birth Place | Pulluvila |
| Religion | Malayali Christian |
| Parents | Samson Viswanath (Father) Ligy Viswanath (Mother) |
| Education | St. Joseph’s Higher Secondary School, Thiruvananthapuram Mar Ivanios College, Thiruvananthapuram |
| Education Qualication | B.A. degree in English literature |
| Height | 5ft 7inch |
| Profession | Cricketer |
| Batting style | Right-handed batter |
| Bowling style | Right-arm off Spin |
| Jersey Number | Test:9 ODI:9 T20I:9 IPL: 9 |
| Spouse | Charulatha Samson |
| Sibling | Saly Samson |
| Net Worth | Rs. 82 crore ($10 Million) (as per 2024) |
| @imsanjusamson | |
| @ImSanjuSamson | |
| @IamSanjuSamson |
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Sanju Samson Biography: Birth and Family
Sanju Samson was born on 11 November 1994 in Pulluvila, a coastal village near Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala. His full name is Sanju Viswanath Samson. He belongs to a Malayali Christian family. His father, Samson Viswanath, was formerly a police constable at Delhi Police and a retired football player who has represented Delhi in the Santhosh Trophy. His mother, Ligy Viswanath, is a housewife.
He has a younger brother, Saly Samson, who has also played cricket for Kerala at the junior level and currently works in the AG’s office.
He is married to Charulatha, whom he met during his college days and tied the knot in 2018.
Sanju spent his early childhood in the Police residential colony in the North Delhi neighborhood of GTB Nagar and studied at Rosary Senior Secondary School, Delhi. He trained under coach Yashpal at the academy in DL DAV Model School, Shalimar Bagh.
When Sanju did not make it into the Delhi U-13 team for the Dhruv Pandove Trophy, his father took voluntary retirement from the Delhi police force and moved to Kerala, where Sanju and his brother continued their cricketing careers.
Sanju Samson Biography: Education
Sanju completed his schooling at St. Joseph’s Higher Secondary School, Thiruvananthapuram. He then pursued his B.A. degree in English literature from Mar Ivanios College, Trivandrum. He was a bright student and scored well in his academics. He also participated in various extracurricular activities and events. He was passionate about cricket since his childhood and balanced his studies and sports well.
Sanju Samson Biography: Net Worth
Sanju Samson has an estimated net worth of around $10 million as of 2024. He earns a handsome amount of money from his cricketing career, as well as from his endorsements and sponsorships. He has been associated with brands like Nike, Pepsi, Boost, and Dream11. He also owns a luxurious house in Thiruvananthapuram and a fleet of cars, including a BMW and a Range Rover.
Sanju Samson Biography: Cricket Career
Sanju Samson is a young and talented cricketer who plays for India and Rajasthan Royals. He is a right-handed wicket-keeper-batter who can play in various formats of the game.
He has a remarkable record in domestic cricket, Indian Premier League, Twenty20 Internationals, and One Day Internationals. He has also won many awards and honours for his cricketing achievements.
Domestic Cricket
Sanju Samson made his debut in domestic cricket for Kerala in 2011, at the age of 16. Sanju started his cricketing career in the Kerala under-13 team, where he captained the team and hit a century on his debut. He then progressed to the under-16 and under-19 levels, where he impressed everyone with his batting and wicket-keeping skills.
He made his first-class debut for Kerala in 2011, at the age of 16, against Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy. He scored 19 runs in his first innings and took four catches behind the stumps. He became a regular member of the Kerala team and scored his maiden first-class century against Assam in 2012.
He made his List A debut for Kerala in 2012, against Andhra Pradesh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He scored 10 runs in his first match and took two catches. He made his Twenty20 debut for Kerala in 2013, against Hyderabad in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He scored 19 runs in his first match and took one catch.
He became the youngest player to score a half-century and a century in the Ranji Trophy, the premier first-class tournament in India. He has scored over 3000 runs in 55 first-class matches, with an average of 37.64 and a highest score of 211. He has also scored over 2000 runs in 80 List A matches, with an average of 31.25 and a highest score of 129.
He has also scored over 1000 runs in 61 Twenty20 matches, with an average of 22.22 and a highest score of 91. He has been a consistent performer for Kerala in all formats and has also captained the team on several occasions. He has also played for India A and India B in various tournaments and has impressed the selectors with his skills and temperament.
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Indian Premier League
Sanju Samson made his debut in the Indian Premier League, the most popular and lucrative T20 league in the world, in 2013, for Rajasthan Royals. He became the youngest player to score a half-century in the IPL, and also the youngest player to score a half-century in the Champions League Twenty20.
He has played for Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals, and again Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, and has scored over 2500 runs in 110 matches, with an average of 27.78 and a strike rate of 133.74.
He has also scored three centuries and 13 half-centuries in the IPL and has won the Emerging Player of the Year award in 2013. He has also been the captain of Rajasthan Royals since 2021 and has led the team with courage and charisma.
T20
Sanju Samson made his debut in T20, the shortest and most exciting format of international cricket, in 2015, for India, against Zimbabwe in Harare. He has played 19 T20Is for India and has scored 236 runs, with an average of 13.88 and a strike rate of 131.11. He has also scored one half-century and taken 10 catches in T20Is. He has been a part of the Indian squad for various T20I series and has also played in the 2021 T20 World Cup in Australia. He has shown his potential and flair in T20Is and has also played some match-winning knocks for India.
One Day Internationals
Sanju Samson made his debut in One Day Internationals, the 50-over format of international cricket, in 2021, for India, against Sri Lanka in Colombo. He has played six ODIs for India and has scored 178 runs, with an average of 29.66 and a strike rate of 97.25. He has also scored one century and taken four catches in ODIs. He scored his maiden ODI century in the third ODI against Sri Lanka and became the fourth Indian wicket-keeper-batter to do so.
Sanju Samson Biography: Awards and Honours
Sanju Samson has won several awards and honours for his cricketing achievements. Some of them are:
- Emerging Player of the Year in the 2013 IPL season.
- Best Young Player of the Season in the 2013 CLT20.
- Kerala Cricket Association’s Best Senior State Cricketer in 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.
- BCCI’s Best Under-19 Cricketer in 2013-14 season.
- CEAT Indian Youngster of the Year in 2014.
- Nominated for the ICC Emerging Player of the Year in 2014.
- Kerala Sports Journalists’ Association’s Sportsman of the Year in 2015.
- Kerala State Sports Council’s Sports Star of the Year in 2015.
- Kerala State Sports Council’s Best Cricketer of the Year in 2015-16 and 2019-20 seasons.
- Kerala Cricket Association’s Best Cricketer of the Year in 2019-20 season.
- Man of the Match in the 2020 IPL season for his 119 runs against Punjab Kings.
- Man of the Series in the 2021 ODI series against Sri Lanka for his 158 runs.
Sanju Samson Biography: Records
- He is the youngest player to score a half-century in the IPL, at the age of 18 years and 169 days.
- He is the first player to score a century in the IPL 2023, with 119 runs off 63 balls against Punjab Kings.
- He is the second Indian player to score two centuries in the IPL, after Virat Kohli.
- He is the third player to score a century in his first match as captain in the IPL, after Adam Gilchrist and David Warner.
- He is the fourth player to score a century in a losing cause in the IPL, after Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and Steven Smith.
- He is the fifth player to score 1000 runs for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, after Ajinkya Rahane, Shane Watson, Rahul Dravid and Steven Smith.
- He is the sixth player to hit 10 or more sixes in an IPL innings, after Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum, AB de Villiers, Moeen Ali, and Ishan Kishan.
- He is the seventh player to win the Emerging Player of the Year award in the IPL, after Shreevats Goswami, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Saurabh Tiwary, Iqbal Abdulla and Mandeep Singh.
- He is the eighth player to score a century for India in ODI cricket, with 108 runs off 114 balls against South Africa.
- He is the ninth player to score a half-century on his T20I debut for India, with 50 runs off 40 balls against Zimbabwe.
Conclusion
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